Vehicles that can hover over water (e.g., hovercrafts) and/or land (e.g., vertical take-off jets) make use of an air cushion. The larger the vehicle, the greater the volume of air that is required. In the case of hovercrafts, a gas turbine or diesel engine is typically used to drive a low speed fan which moves air into an inflatable skirt. The conventional turbine engine (e.g., turbojet or turbofan) utilizes a centrally disposed rotor rotating within a rigid (stator) casing. The exhaust from the engine is not used for inflation of the skirt because its central high-temperature core of exhaust would damage the skirt material. In the case of vertical take-off jets, operation over certain terrain (e.g., asphalt) may be restricted due to damage that could be caused by the central high-temperature core of exhaust from the downwardly-directed jets.